Bucs' Revis was longtime target of GM

New York Jets cornerback Darrelle Revis was on the radar of Tampa Bay Bucs general manager Mark Dominik the day the Jets cornerback suffered a torn ACL last September.

The somewhat surprising revelation was made during a report by Andrea Kremer for the NFL Network.

"Quite frankly, it started when he blew out his knee," Dominik said of his thought process. "I actually went into (personnel director) Dennis Hickey's office and I said, 'That could be a reason why he leaves the Jets.' Because I knew what his contract situation was. So, when he hurt his knee, I thought, 'That's going to be an out possibility."

The Bucs began trade talks with Revis, who was scheduled to become a free agent after the 2013 season, at the league meetings in March. A good bounce for Dominik was the Jets' hiring of John Idzik as their general manager. Idzik worked a few feet away from Dominik for six years in the Bucs' front office.

Tampa Bay eventually traded the 13th overall pick in 2013 and a conditional third-round selection in 2014 for Revis.

Apparently, Dominik never shared the impulse with Revis. When informed of how early the Bucs started thinking about acquiring him, Revis said, "That's just mind-boggling."

Meanwhile, Revis has resumed his recovery under the direction of the Bucs medical staff.

He did some light running and cone drills on a side field during the Bucs OTAs this week with trainer Todd Toriscelli.

Revis obviously still has a long way to go. The Bucs aren't backing off their projection that Revis will be ready for training camp and play in the preseason. Then again, his contract is not guaranteed, so they're hedging their bets.